The Chop House
I caught up with C & L over dinner at The Chop House last evening. A more casual offshoot of Wooloomooloo Steakhouse, The Chop House is a waterfront restaurant at VivoCity and can accomodate 80 diners in the main dining hall with more seats outside. Unfortunately, lighting at the restaurant was very dim so we struggled to snap decent photos.
Mixed Grill Platter @ S$60 (serves 2)
Australian Beef Tenderloin, Pork Sausage, Lamb Sausage, Lamb Cutlet,
Grilled Tomato & Red Wine Sauce.
We started with a Mixed Grill Platter that comprised a piece of Australian Beef Tenderloin, 2 Pork Sausages, 2 Lamb Sausages, 2 Lamb Cutlets, Grilled Tomato with Red Wine Sauce served separately in the black mini Cocotte. The Beef Tenderloin was grilled to perfection with smoky surfaces that encased a juicy, Burgundy red core (we'd requested for it to be done Medium Rare). The succulent lamb cutlets had the same smoky touch with a pretty pink centre. The grilled sausages had a slightly crisp browned casings with a juicy filling. Both the lamb chops and lamb sausages didn't have a gamey flavour, which made for a much more pleasant dining experience. The Mixed Grill Platter at The Chop House is a Must-Try!
Berkshire Pork Chop @ S$ 32
Basted in a Mongolian glaze consisting of Hoisin sauce & black bean chili sauce.
Served with sautéed red cabbage.
The Berkshire Pork Chop seemed pretty popular on Foursquare. Grilled to perfection, the fatty pork chop had smoky, caramelized surfaces with a juicy and tender core. If only there was just a little less Mongolian glaze slathered all over it. Comprising Hoisin sauce and black bean chili sauce, the first thing that came to mind when we ate the Mongolian glaze-basted Berkshire Pork Chop was Char Siew (exactly what one of the guests mentioned on Foursquare). The sautéed red cabbage was refreshingly tangy with hints of wine. A little too much sauce aside, the Berkshire Pork Chop is a Must-Try!
Trio of Condiments at The Chop House
From left: Beetroot Chutney, Chili Mustard & Onion Jam
The condiments at The Chop House were made in-house and made for delicious companions to the grilled meat. I especially loved the Beetroot Chutney because it was sweet and earthy without being overwhelming. The Chili Mustard was delicious although I wished it was just a little spicier. The caramelized Onion Jam was smoky without being cloyingly sweet and I think it would be perfect in a burger.
Sweet Potato Fries @ S$7
The Sweet Potato Fries were crisp on the outside with a light and floury core. Though I'm not a fan of Sweet Potato, I enjoyed the thick-cut fries with some mustard.
The Chop House received mixed reviews about food and service on Foursquare but I'm glad that my friends and I share the same philosophy: "If you never try, you'll never know." The service rendered by the staff was good and special mention needs to go to Dominic, our very shy but attentive server. When asking us how well we'd like our meat done, he was sweet enough to remind us that the Mixed Grill is served on a hotplate so the meats will continue cooking.
As some of you may know, I'm trying to lose weight in 2014 (after failing in 2013), so we were trying to figure out how much calories I'd consumed for my records on MyFitnessPal when he came over to offer some help. We asked Dominic if he might happen know how much the grilled beef etc weighed. We expected to get the standard, "I don't know." coupled with an incredulous / confused look type of response that has become so common in Singapore even when a simple question is posed eg. "What's your Soup of the Day?". Instead he said, "Let me check." Like...seriously? He came back with a little notebook listing down the weight of each item. Wow! We were very impressed and shared our feedback with the friendly manager, Shah.
In a country where service tends be bad and complaints are rife, perhaps it would be nice if we could start sharing positive experiences so we can help to create a circle of positivity? Just thinking aloud and hence, I'm adding a tag for "Good Service" on my blog. I will be tagging places where I've had the pleasure of enjoying great customer service in due course.
The Chop House 1 Harboufront Walk, #01-161 & 162 VivoCity, Singapore 098585 Reservations: +65 6376 9262 Operating Hours: Monday to Thursday: 12 pm to 11 pm Fri, Sat & Eve of Public Holidays: 12 pm to 12 am Sun & Public Holidays: 11 am to 11 pm